


my memories locked in your devotion

by yoonminoml (fanficloverme96)



Series: of Gods and Heaven [2]
Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Eventual Romance, M/M, Memory Loss, Reincarnation, Sibling Incest, The rest makes minor appearances - Freeform, background Mezzo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:06:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25142863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanficloverme96/pseuds/yoonminoml
Summary: There he is again. That familiar devotee of his, clasping his hands together as he stands in front of Riku’s holy statue, his head ducked in prayer. Riku cannot figure out why -But he knows this boy. Somewhere. Somehow.
Relationships: Kujou Ten/Nanase Riku
Series: of Gods and Heaven [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1821346
Comments: 2
Kudos: 40





	my memories locked in your devotion

**Author's Note:**

> Loosely based on Heaven Official's Blessing (TGCF) by MXTX, this fic is a direct sequel to the MEZZO fic in this series. However, you don't necessarily need to read that fic in order to understand this one as essential information are explained, but there are background references here and there you might understand better if you read the first fic.

The heavens told him that because of his pure and good heart, Riku, who was born a sickly child, had been granted the blessings of godhood upon his death. As soon as his heart stopped beating, Heaven shines its magnificent lights on his soul and instead of urging him towards the end of his cycle of life, his soul ascends as an entirely different being.

Upon his death, Riku ascends as the God of Health. And now, many people would not have to suffer the same fate as he did - dying, before he had the chance to truly live.

Although he cannot heal every disease known to man, he does help in easing the sufferings of his devotees should there be no possible cure to the illness. To simply magic the disease away would be against Heaven’s mandate, so all Riku could do is to whisper in his devotees’ dreams of the ingredients or the methods needed to fight back against it, and possibly, put an end to it completely. 

The disease that took him as a child is no more, thanks to his guidance - it remains his greatest achievement that he is the proudest of. 

There is one peculiar fact of this young God of Health, however. He speaks of his childhood as if he remembers every second of it, and while this is true for other Gods who tend to remember their former mortal life in great detail, Riku actually remembers none of it. The stories from other Gods and his own devotees become his memories, to which he sincerely believes to be true.

Because he has nothing else to believe in but those stories. 

Some Gods, if they live long enough, can become detached from their previous mortal memories to the point of them fading away entirely, but Riku hadn’t been a God for too long - at least not as long as the rest of Heaven’s residents. And yet, he cannot remember a single thing about his previous life. 

Some might call him lucky. Although Gods usually tend to remember their mortal life, they are also expected to release their ties with the mortal world upon their ascension. They could keep their memories, but they must not hold attachment to whatever friends and families they had in the past to avoid possible interference that may go against Heaven's mandate.

Without any memories, Riku doesn’t have anything to hold on to. Theoretically, it should make his life easier.

Riku, the God of Health, doesn’t have anything he could miss. And yet -

Why does his lack of memories bother him so much still? 

“I’m off!” he announces, running down the stairs of Heaven towards the portal that connects to the mortal world. 

“Riku-kun?” Sougo stands by the portal, having looked as though he had just returned from the mortal world himself. Unlike Riku, Sougo ascended into Godhood when he was still alive. He is one of the many Literature Gods and a former Crown Prince of his country before he ascended on his 20th birthday due to his immeasurable wisdom in war strategies. He has that familiar genial look on his face as he smiles at Riku. “Visiting your devotees again?”

“Sougo-san, hello!” Riku greets cheerfully, “Yes! Thought I’d see the mortal world for a bit.”

“Take care while you’re there. Be careful not to let anyone see you,” Sougo cautions.

Riku pouts. “Only special people can do that and that’s extremely rare. I’ll be careful!” He gives Sougo another wave. “Well, I’ll be off!”

Sougo’s gentle smile is the last thing he sees before he steps into the portal. His vision is enveloped in white, and he feels a sensation of floating that lasts for barely a few seconds, before his vision clears and there is a sound of grass crunching.

He is in the mortal world.

More specifically, he is in a village located far in the east - one of the many, many places that worships the God of Health. Unlike most places, this village doesn’t particularly stand out. Instead of massive cities with giant walls and sky scraping buildings and castles, this village is small and impoverished. The houses are barely houses at all - they’re small, wooden huts that usually house families bigger than the building itself. The people here are poor - dressed in tatters for clothes and hair barely combed at all and faces usually covered in grime from a hard day’s work. 

But the village is occasionally blessed with good seasons where crops would grow well and that is when the people’s living conditions would improve for a time.

Despite their bareboned lives, Riku notices that the people here are generally content. It is an odd contrast, but it’s a contrast that Riku has come to understand the longer he observed the village. 

The village is rarely struck with natural disasters due to its location, and while good harvests only come on occasions, the crops are enough to get them by until the next good season comes. They can’t afford luxury and some times are worse than the other, but the children have smiles on their faces as they run around, and the adults, though tired from a day’s work, wear bliss like a cloak. 

Thanks to Riku’s protection, the village is rarely struck with diseases, if at all. That may have been why the people’s spirits are relatively high despite their lack of possessions and general wealth. 

It’s their content faces and brave smiles as they face the day ahead why Riku finds himself drawn to this village.

Or at least….that’s  _ one  _ of the reasons.

Perching himself on a tree branch, Riku swings his legs as his gaze zeroes onto the giant statue of him placed in the center of the village. His statue is modeled to have him clasping his hands together, eyes shut in prayer with a smile gracing his face. At the base of the statue, there are various fruit offerings along with some folded fabric, carefully sewn to look presentable for the God they’re worshipping. It makes Riku frown at how they’re giving up much of their resources just for the sake of giving him offerings, but regardless of how frequently he whispered into their dreams to stop doing it, the people were surprisingly relentless.

In the end, it even made him, the God himself, give up.

Even from where he sits, Riku hears footsteps. 

Ah.

There he is.

There is a young man approaching the statue now. He looks a little older than Riku - Riku died when he was in his late teens; this person looks as though he’s in his early twenties now. Like the rest of the villagers, he is dressed modestly in hand sewn clothes, but his hair is neatly combed and his face is relatively clean, save for the sweat dotting along his forehead that hints his previous labor. He stops in front of the statue, looking up at the statue’s face for a moment, before he ducks his head, clasps his hands together and closes his eyes in a prayer.

_ Haruka-kun from a few doors down has a fever,  _ the person’s wish resounds in Riku’s mind,  _ The peddler that gives us free medicine from time to time won’t come for the next few days and the nearest city is too far away to make a quick trip. Even if we did, we don’t have enough money to buy the medicine he needs. Please...if you cannot heal his illness, please let him sleep peacefully at night.  _

Such gentle prayers. Such gentle words from a very gentle-hearted person. The very person he’s drawn to, for reasons unknown to him. Ever since he first saw the young man, something inside of him can’t help but to bring him back to this village.

Even if it’s just to catch a glimpse of him. 

“Tenn-kun?” a woman calls out to him, “Are you making your daily prayers?”

Tenn looks up to face the woman. “Yes, Takanashi-san. Haruka-kun is sick and couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d ask our God to ease his pain.”

“You’re a kind boy,” Takanashi praises, “And so devoted. I think your family is perhaps the only ones who pray to our deity every day.”

“He protects our village from serious diseases. It’s the least I can do.”

So his name is Tenn.

Riku visited this village rather frequently, but this is the first time he heard his name. Tenn. Tenn. What a beautiful name. He wonders if his name shares the same character as Heaven. If it did...it would have been incredibly fitting. A heart as pure as his, Riku couldn’t help but to wonder why he hasn’t ascended yet.

Surely Heaven would have noticed his pure soul by now, right?

It’s admittedly a silly thought. Not every kind person becomes a God. It’s the same way as not every courageous, smart, selfless, and skilled person ascends. How Heaven chooses its Gods remains a mystery. Nagi - the God of Wealth - once made a remark that it depends on the mood of the Heaven’s Emperor’s - the God among Gods.

Putting it that way, Heaven sounds like a willful child, if anything.

Snapping out from his reverie, he turns back his attention on the scene below him. The woman is gone. And Tenn -

Tenn is looking  _ right _ at him.

“You there,” he calls out, his voice loud and clear, “Who are you?”

He can see him.

Tenn can _ see _ him. 

Mortals cannot see Gods. Not unless the God in question wills it. Riku is definitely  _ not  _ doing that right now. So how is it that Tenn could see him?

Ah crap, Tenn is running towards him now. It’s too late to disappear. 

“Who are you?” Tenn asks again when he stops at the base of the tree, “You’ve been watching us this entire time. Are you perhaps a thief?”

Riku bristles without meaning to, temporarily forgetting the peculiar situation they’re in. “I am most certainly not!” he huffs, “Can’t a person do a little sightseeing?”

Tenn crosses his arms, looking unimpressed. “You’ve done this before in the past. This is not the first time I’ve seen you sitting on this tree, looking at our village.”

Crap.

Was he  _ that  _ noticeable?

“I-I just liked this spot, that’s all!” Riku insists, very well aware how silly he sounds. “I’ll come down if it bothers you that much.”

“Please do,” Tenn says flatly, “You look suspicious, to be honest.”

What happened to the pure heart gentle voice he had just a few moments ago?! Tenn still has that unimpressed look on that face when Riku finally steps on the ground, giving him a once-over. Riku feels scrutinized under his stare, and in an attempt to not show any weakness, he meets Tenn’s stare courageously, his lips pulled into a pout.

Finally, what seems like an eternity, Tenn finally speaks.

“You look a little younger than me. And your clothes hint you’re very well-off. Are you far away from home, kid?”

Riku looks at himself. It’s true that compared to Tenn’s patchwork of an attire, Riku’s white robes and accessories hanging from his wrists and earlobes look extremely extravagant. But hold on, did he just...call him...a kid?!

“I’m much older than you think I am, you know,” Riku huffs.

Tenn raises an eyebrow. “Okay, if you say so.”

“I really am!”

“Sure sure.” 

Riku finds himself following Tenn back to his village, all the while still insisting his age and no, he’s not some lost noble kid out for a stroll. Tenn doesn’t seem to believe him, but at the very least, he stopped questioning him, or deeming him as suspicious. Though he still treats him like he’s some misbehaving child instead of -

Riku stops walking and looks up. The stone face of his statue looks back at him. It’s a little unnerving looking at his own statue like this, at least this up close. It doesn’t quite look like him, because Gods are not supposed to reveal their true appearance to their devotees, but there are certain features with enough similarities that it makes Riku feel like he’s looking at a mirror.

“This deity…” he says slowly, “Your village worships him?”

“Mm,” Tenn nods, his face adopting that gentle look again, “He’s the God of Health, and he’s the reason why our village is doing well despite not having much to offer. We don’t ever have to worry about serious plagues.”

“No one gets sick?” Riku asks. He knows the answer to this, of course. It doesn’t stop him from asking, because that would mean Tenn would continue speaking to him.

“Nothing beyond fevers,” Tenn replies, “And even then, our God ensures they go through it with as little pain as possible, as long as we pray for it.”

There is that tone again. The same kind one he used when praying for the sick child, and the one he used when speaking to the woman. So different from the one he used when he first spoke to Riku. 

“Do you like this God?” Riku asks.

“I’m thankful to him,” Tenn says without missing a beat, “Our lives...well, it’s never completely without hardships, but our days are significantly easier when we don’t have to worry about diseases. If I ever get the chance to ever…” He shakes his head. “It’s a silly thought, but I heard people get premonitions from Gods sometimes in their dreams. If I ever get to meet him….I’d like to thank him for everything he’s done.”

Ah...there it is.

That look on his face. The expression that draws Riku back to this village time and time again.

“I like this God, too,” Riku blurts out.

Tenn turns to him. “You do?”

“A-ah, I mean…” Riku shifts where he stands. “My hometown….we don’t...we don’t worship many deities, so admittedly I didn’t know about this, uh, God of Health. But you see!” Riku claps his hands together. “When I was a child, I used to get sick a lot. And then one day, out of desperation, my parents prayed to whatever deity who could help me. And then...by some miracle….I got better.”

It’s a ridiculous story by a long shot, and Riku isn’t sure if he sounds convincing, but he presses on, regardless. 

“Ever since then, I was determined to find out about the deity who helped me. It had to be a deity, after all. I was...there was no hope for me, otherwise. And then, while passing by, I heard stories that this village worships what you called the God of Health. I was….I was intrigued! That’s why I come here a lot. Waiting for the right chance to pay this God a visit.”

“There are many places that worship this God. Why this village specifically?” Tenn questions.

Riku blinks, not expecting the question. “Because...because…”

_ Because for some reason, you draw me in. I can’t stop staring at you. _

“Because Heaven called me here!” he exclaims.

There is a pause. Tenn is staring at him in disbelief. If there had been other people around him - provided that they could see Riku -, they would have stared at him in disbelief as well.

Finally, just as Riku is about to explain himself further into oblivion, he hears a muffled giggle. Before the muffled giggle turns into a full-blown laughter. Riku watches in stunned silence as Tenn throws his head back and laughs, his arms wrapped around his abdomen as if to steady himself.

“I see!” Tenn laughs, “I don’t know why Heaven would send you to this tiny village in the middle of nowhere, but I suppose Heaven works in mysterious ways.”

He continues laughing for another moment, seemingly unaware of the pout that Riku sends his way. When he’s finally done, he is still wiping off the tears from his eyes, but he’s now looking at Riku with a smile, instead of his previous wariness.

“You’re an interesting one, you know that?” he says, “Do you want to know another reason why I like this God?”

Riku blinks slowly. “Sure.”

Tenn turns to look at Riku’s statue, his smile now softening around the edges. One of his hands reaches up, grasping at the empty air. “For some reason...he feels familiar, that’s all. Like...I’m safe around him.”

_ Thump. _

Ah.

His heart skipped a beat. How strange. Before he realizes it, Riku’s lips are moving.

“Can I come again?”

Tenn looks at him in surprise, prompting Riku to quickly say something else. “I want to know more about this God! And you sound like you know him very well and I...I…” He fidgets where he stands, very well aware of how ridiculous he must sound. He could feel his cheeks warming up. “I...I don’t have many people I could talk to about deities. So, is it...okay if I continue to come back here?”

There is a brief pause. 

Finally, Tenn smiles. “Of course.” He holds out his hand. “My name is Tenn.”

His heart soaring, Riku grins in return, accepting the handshake. “Riku!”

And so, the God of Health and his kind and gentle devotee form a tentative friendship since then.

Since Riku still has to attend to his heavenly duties, he could only meet Tenn once or twice a week, always under the same tree where they first met. He never revealed his identity to Tenn for obvious reasons, so Tenn is still under the impression that whenever Riku disappeared, it’s to attend his duties as nobleman in some far away land.

It’s the closest thing to the truth that Riku could afford without outright lying. 

“Is it not difficult for you to travel here so often?” Tenn asks him one day as they sit on the tree branch, looking at the sun setting over the horizon, “I don’t know where you come from, but it doesn’t seem like it’s nearby, does it?”

Riku laughs nervously, wringing his hands on his lap. “It’s no trouble! I came here often enough before that I got used to it.” In an effort to change the subject, he grabs the satchel at his side and rummages through it, with Tenn peering over his shoulders in curiosity.

“Here,” he says, showing Tenn the object in his palm.

Tenn furrows his brows, peering at the object. “Seedlings?”

“Mmph!” Riku beams. “These plants are known to be resilient in any sort of weather, so I thought I’d share some with you. Might help with your harvests and all.”

“What do they grow into?”

“They’re types of herbs which you can eat and be used for medicine! If you turn them into fertilizer, they’ll be great for improving your harvests too.”

He doesn’t tell Tenn that it had taken him plenty of begging from Iori, the head of the Heaven’s Archive where all prayer records are kept, for him to be able to take even such a small amount. They’re meant to be used only in dire circumstances and Iori had been stone-faced when Riku couldn’t offer a good explanation as to why he needed them.

Well, he finally relented at the promise of Riku working extra hard to sort his prayers this month. And long story short, he finally has the gift he wanted to present to Tenn.

Tenn, who is currently eyeing the seedlings in curiosity. “I’ve never seen these before. But then again, I don’t know much about plants. Are you sure these will work?”

“Positive! Of course, there is no harm praying to the God of Harvest...or the God of Wealth for some extra push.”

Tenn hums, taking the seedlings from Riku. He gives the boy a sweet smile in return. “Thank you, Riku. I appreciate it.”

Riku could feel his cheeks warm. Unable to stop the smile that stretches his cheeks, he ducks his head instead, swinging his legs. “Y-you’re welcome.”

They descend into a comfortable silence that lasts for only a few minutes until Tenn speaks again. 

“Say, Riku.”

“Yes?”

Tenn looks at him through the corner of his eyes. “Did you really come to this village to pay a visit to our God?”

Riku’s legs stop swinging. He turns to look at Tenn, blinking owlishly at him. “Huh?”

“You did ask about deities and stuff for the first few times you came here, but nowadays, we barely talk about things like that anymore. You seemed to like watching me work in the fields, instead, or invite me exploring the forests and waterfalls. And now, you even gave me a gift.” Tenn gives him a careful look. “Is there...perhaps another reason why you keep coming here?”

“E-Eh? Well! Uh,” Riku stutters, not expecting the question, “It’s true that I was fascinated with the God that you’re worshipping and I did enjoy our talks about deities and everything since no one talked about them where I came from -”

Because everyone is a deity where he came from.

“So, it’s not like I had other motives or anything!” he continues, ending with an obviously nervous chuckle.

“Hm...Really?”

“Really!”

Tenn brings his knees to his chest before propping his chin on his knees. “I see. That’s a shame, then.”

Riku looks at him dumbly. “Huh?”

For the first time since they’ve known each other, Tenn turns to look at him with an expression that might have seemed...shy. Pink dusts his cheeks and when he speaks, his voice is soft and hesitant that Riku has to strain his ears to hear him.

Which makes his next words even more unbelievable.

“I like that you’re here, Riku.”

“...Eh?”

“I like that you keep coming back here, Riku,” Tenn repeats, firmer this time, “I...look forward to each week because I know you would be coming back and I get to see you. I…” The flush on his cheeks deepens. “I enjoy your company. Very much.”

…

“I-I!”

Riku couldn’t properly describe just how  _ happy  _ he is to hear those words. He scrambles to grab Tenn’s hands, looking earnestly into his eyes. He beams from ear to ear, his heart thumping loudly in his chest. 

“I feel the same way!” he exclaims, “Tenn-san, I...I enjoy your company very, very much!”

Tenn looks a little startled by his sudden outburst, looking at Riku with wide eyes. Before long, he starts giggling softly, shaking his head fondly at Riku.

“I’m glad,” he says, “I’m happy.”

“Me too!”

The God of Health and his kind and gentle devotee continues sitting on the tree branch as they watch the sunset. Their hands touch, but they do nothing more than that. 

Meanwhile in Heaven, a Literature God and a God of War stand side by side as they watch the scene that unfolds before them through a small portal. They watch in silence as Riku turns to laugh at something Tenn had said, his face a mask of absolute happiness.

“Are you worried?” asks the God of War towards his lover, nuzzling the God’s white hair.

“He seems really happy,” the Literature God remarks, his tone wistful, “Riku-kun has always been a cheerful child, but this is the happiest I’ve ever seen him. I’m just…” He grasps the front of his robes - a nervous habit. “If the heavens find out about this…”

“Your Highness?”

The Literature God gives his lover an exasperated smile. “You’re never going to call me by my name, aren’t you, Tamaki-kun?”

“...Sougo.”

“That’s right,” Sougo nods in approval, “At least when we’re alone, it’s fine to call me by my name.” He returns his gaze on the portal again. “Anyway, you asked me if I was worried.”

“I did.”

Sougo lets out a breath. “It was...Riku-kun’s wish to have his memories of  _ him  _ erased, after all. Do you think them meeting again like this - forming a friendship like this -, will cause him to remember again?”

Tamaki looks at Sougo carefully. “You think Riku will remember? It was a pact made by the heavens themselves. Can such a thing be undone?”

Sougo shakes his head, sighing. “I do not know. If Riku-kun’s memories returning bears heavy consequences, then I pray that the pact cannot be undone, no matter how deep the bond between those two becomes.” 

“Tenn-san?”

Riku looks around the area, craning his head as he searches for a familiar pink-haired young man. He’s normally never this late when it comes to their weekly meetings by the tree. Riku had waited for hours on end, and when Tenn made no show of ever appearing, Riku had taken matters into his own hands. No one else in the village could see him so it’s easy for him to simply walk around the area without drawing attention.

“Tenn-san? Where are you?” he calls out. No luck. No one responds back. He checks the fields but finds that place empty as well. He ends up circling back to his deity statue placed in the village square with no clue to where Tenn might be. Frustrated, he sits at the foot of the statue, his shoulders slumped.

“Are you alright?”

Startled, Riku looks up.

An older-looking woman with vibrant red hair is looking at him with a worried expression on her face, her hand held out towards him. There is a worn-out faded grey blanket wrapped around her shoulders, which makes her look smaller than she already is. The hand held out in front of him looks roughened - possibly from working all day. But when he accepts her hand, her hold is firm but gentle.

As gentle as her eyes. Her gaze reminds Riku of -

Wait -

“You can see me?” Riku blurts out.

The woman looks momentarily confused. “Yes?”

That’s the  _ second  _ person who could see him and the fact that they both originated from the same place makes Riku a little uneasy, truth to be told. Riku regards the woman in front of him with a slight wariness, but the more he looks at her, the more she reminds him of -

Of Tenn.

And of...someone else. Someone Riku could not put a finger on.

“Um! Ma’am, may I ask you something?” Riku speaks, suddenly remembering why he’s here in the first place.

The woman blinks, a little startled. “Of course.”

“Do you know Tenn-san? I’m his friend and I’m looking for him, you see.”

The woman gives him an unsure look. “Tenn is my son -,” Realization suddenly dawns upon her. “You must be Riku-kun! Tenn told me a lot about you! He did mention he’s made a young friend recently, and he would be out until evening to see him. So you’re that friend, aren’t you?” The woman smiles widely, shaking Riku’s hands a little more enthusiastically. “It’s nice to finally meet you!”

So this woman is Tenn’s mother. That would explain the resemblance to Tenn, but it doesn’t quite explain why she reminds him of -

“Do you know where he is?” Riku asks.

“Huh? Oh, Tenn went to the forest earlier today to look for some firewood. Oh, but,” Tenn’s mother looks up at the sky. “It’s getting rather late. I wonder why he hasn’t returned yet.”

A steady feeling of unease settles into Riku's heart. “Which direction did he go?”

Tenn’s mother points towards the east. “If I’m not mistaken, it’s that way -,”

“Thank you, Ma’am!” Riku says before quickly running off.

“Who were you talking to, Nanase-san?” a woman asks Tenn’s mother a short while later.

“Oh, Takanashi-san. There was this sweet-looking boy.”

Takanashi looks at her in confusion. “...What boy? I didn’t see anyone.” She presses a hand on Tenn’s mother’s forehead. “Oh dear, you’re not coming down with a fever, are you? It’s not good if you’re hallucinating!”

Riku isn’t sure how long he’s been running, but he continues pushing himself to go forward - to follow the faint presence he has learned to recognize over time. He moves further east, running faster and faster as the presence is growing stronger and stronger. By the time he finally stops, his heart is instantly filled with dread the moment he sees where he is. 

There is a cave in front of him, hidden partially by an overgrowth. It looks like an ordinary cave to curious onlookers, but Riku could sense the waves of energy tumbling out from the entrance like waves. 

Today, this is where the entrance to the Underworld has decided to manifest itself. 

The Underworld is thome to ghosts and spirits and its entrance - often in the form of a long tunnel - manifests randomly every day in the mortal world to avoid quick detection. Gods are often discouraged from entering because a prolonged stay would sap out their energy, leaving them weakened and vulnerable to malicious spirits. Although not all residents of the Underworld have evil intent - Riku even befriended some of them despite other deities’ warnings - the ones that do would not hesitate to hurt the next potential victim they see to become more powerful. If they become powerful enough, they can wreck an unimaginable amount of havoc in the mortal world.

So why is it that Tenn’s presence is the strongest here?

Riku doesn’t like this one single bit.

Taking a breath, he steels himself before stepping inside.

Tenn isn’t sure how he ended up here in this cave. The last thing he remembers is waiting by the tree for Riku as usual when he hears a ringing voice in his mind.

_ Human child, come here. Follow us. _

It had been a cacophony of voices - he isn’t sure whether they are male or female. But they had a strange lulling effect that the next thing he knows, his legs had begun moving. When he finally comes to, he finds himself slumped against the cave wall, his surroundings lit with only torches of fire.

No, those aren’t torches.

The fire - they’re floating on their own!

“Oh? Looks like our sleeping beauty is awake.”

The floating balls of light gradually begin to take form. A few seconds later, several men gather around Tenn, their lips stretched out into grins. Tenn shuffles involuntarily back against the cave wall, only to find his limbs feel as heavy as lead.

“Who are you?!” he demands, “Where am I?”

“Now, now, human. Don’t be so frightened,” croons one of the men, “We’re just here for a bit of fun, that’s all.”

His words send shivers down Tenn’s spine, and he tries in vain to put more distance between them. Each movement takes so much effort that it tires him quickly and when he tries to speak again, one of the men slams his clawed hands against Tenn’s throat, earning a choked scream from him.

“Don’t make a sound now,” the man says.

Tenn feels something cold grip his throat and when the hand leaves his skin, much to his horror, Tenn’s voice merely comes out as a whispery strangled cry when he tries to make a sound. These people took his voice! But how -

Now that he takes a good look at them, he realizes that these men...don’t look normal. Their skin looks far too pale almost to the point of being translucent, and their cheeks look sunken in. When one of them opens their mouth, Tenn sees it.

His blackened gums and missing teeth.

“Don’t look so scared,” another man laughs, one hand stroking Tenn’s cheek. It is freezing to the touch, and Tenn could feel something sharp graze his skin. These people, Tenn realizes in horror,...they’re not human -

“You must be wondering why we brought you here,” the first one speaks, crouching in front of Tenn, “We’re here to settle a score with Heaven, you see.”

Settle a score...with Heaven?

“The heavens up there, you see...they’ve been cruel to us,” the man continues, “When we died, we were banished to live here forever. Forever roaming. Forever rooted to the earth that no longer welcomes us. No matter how much we begged, no matter how much we promised to repent, all we received were cold stares from those bastards up there. We were hurt.”

Tenn’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, unsure what to make of the story.

“And then one day, we saw you,” another man says. Tenn’s eyes widen in terror when he sees that this one is missing one eye - an empty socket stares at Tenn like a mockery. “We saw you hanging around a young God. And so often, too!”

….Huh? A young God?

“So we thought...what better way to hurt Heaven than to deeply hurt one of their precious Gods! And do you want to know how to hurt a God?” 

The men begin to leer at him.

“Defile the thing that particular God holds dear.”

Everything comes to a full stop in Tenn’s head. Their words sink deep into Tenn’s skin down to his bones and become the only thing he hears in his head. 

“When a malicious spirit defiles a human, it’s more than just a physical damage,” says one of the men gleefully, “The human’s psyche will be irreversibly broken too. I can’t wait to see the look on that God’s face when we return you to him - dirty and wounded and broken inside and out.” 

Tenn tries to move, tries to scream when the men - whatever they are - gather closer around him, their hands reaching out.

“S-Stop -,” he tries to scream out when he feels cold hands tearing at his clothes, “N-no -!!”

“Try to scream all you want, human,” the men laugh in unison, “There is no escaping -!”

He feels hands touching him, and hears the fabric ripping, and suddenly he’s been forced to the ground, his head hitting the concrete painfully and all of it just doesn’t stop -

_ Someone, please...help me! _

“Stay away from him!” a voice roars out.

_ Riku. _

“Shit! How is he here so fast?!” one of the voices curses. 

“We made sure to mask his presence as much as we could, too!”

“Leave him,” Riku growls. There is a murderous look on his face that Tenn has never seen before. His eyes are narrowed into slits and the red in his eyes seem more intense than ever. He bares his teeth as he growls at the men - spirits? - threateningly. “Stay away from him!”

“Or what?” one of the spirits sneers, his voice echoing off the cave walls, “Are you gonna nurse us back to a picture perfect condition, God of Health? What a joke!”

God of...Health? Riku is…?

“No,” Riku says in a low voice, “But I  _ will  _ do this!” 

He raises his hand and Tenn could see something bright forming on the palm of his hand. He pulls his hand back before throwing what seemed like a blast of energy towards the spirits. While the rest manage to avoid it, the one directly in front of Tenn did not manage to evade it on time and the moment the light hits him, Tenn hears a blood curdling scream before the spirit’s body disintegrates into ashes.

Tenn….could barely believe his eyes.

“We should go!” one of the spirits yell in terror, “I ain’t disappearing from existence yet!”

Tenn watches as the spirits scatter away, disappearing seemingly into thin air. He hears hurried footsteps and soon, Riku’s frantic expression comes into full view.

“Tenn-san! Are you okay?” Riku asks frantically.

Tenn could only stare at him. So many questions swim in his mind that he wants so badly to ask but the combination of shock, stress, and fear finally register themselves into his bones and overwhelm him, that the only thing he could do is -

Shakily reaches out for Riku’s robes, buries his head against Riku’s chest, before he sobs openly, his cries echoing in their surroundings. 

Riku ends up taking Tenn to their usual meeting spot at Tenn’s insistence. He could feel the warmth of Tenn’s body as he piggy backs him there - this time, at  _ Riku’s  _ insistence -, and Tenn’s arms tighten around him every now and then as if to re-confirm that Riku’s there and he’s safe and not alone anymore. Riku makes sure to give him a reassuring glance every time he does it.

They do not speak the entire way there, however. It is dark by the time they reach their destination and their first form of exchange comes after Riku sets Tenn down at the base of the tree. Just as Riku is about to turn around, he feels something clutching his robes. He looks down to find Tenn’s hand grasping at the materials of his robes before he directs his gaze towards Tenn himself. Tenn hastily lets go, as if just realizing what he had done, and he turns away flustered.

“Sorry,” he says hurriedly, “I-I didn’t mean to. I just…” He bites his bottom lip. “I thought…”

Riku’s gaze softens. “I’m not going to leave you, Tenn-san.” He crouches down in front of him, meeting Tenn’s eyes. “I’ll be right here.”

“Though I suppose…” he continues with a sigh, moving to sit next to Tenn under the tree, “You must have a lot of questions.”

“...Will you answer them truthfully if I asked?”

Riku gives Tenn an earnest look. “You deserve as much, after what you’ve been through.”

Tenn seems to shudder at the memory, shaking his head as if to chase the thoughts away. He brings his legs to his chest, ducking his head as he ruminates on his thoughts. “I...I don’t know where to start,” he confesses.

“You can start with the easiest question,” Riku says softly.

Tenn chuckles just as softly. “Is it really such an easy question? How do I even go about saying it without sounding like a fool?”

“You won’t.”

“Always so kind to me, Riku,” Tenn says with a smile. Taking a deep breath, he turns to look at Riku, whose gaze is already on him by the time he does. Steeling himself, he opens his mouth to speak. 

“Are you...the God of Health himself, Riku?”

At first, there is nothing but silence in between them. For a moment, Tenn thinks Riku isn’t going to answer him. Or that his question is stupid after all. It sounds so impossible, and yet in the midst of his fear and desperation, Tenn  _ knows  _ what he had seen and heard. He couldn’t simply brush those thoughts away, even if he wants to.

He hears a shift of movement, bringing his attention back to the person in front of him.

“Yes,” Riku whispers, “Yes, I am.”

Such a simple answer, yet those words are enough to shake Tenn to the core. They...sound so unbelievable and yet Tenn somehow knows, deep in his heart, that those words ring true. Riku isn’t lying. He really is -

“How is that possible?” Tenn asks, his voice sounding faraway.

Riku gives him a tiny smile. “You were never meant to be able to see me,” he says, “And yet, here we are.”

“So this faraway place you came from….”

Riku points to the sky above him. “It’s exactly where you think it is.”

If Tenn isn’t already sitting down, his legs would have crumpled beneath him. He doesn’t break his gaze on Riku, and Riku doesn’t, either. They simply continue staring at each other, and Riku watches and waits patiently as the gears turn in Tenn’s mind.

“It’s just…” Tenn finally says, breaking the brief silence, “...You look so  _ human.  _ If it weren’t for the fact that I saw what I saw in the cave...I would have thought you were bluffing.”

And yet now that he takes a good look at him, he could see the resemblance to the statue he prays daily to. Could sense the same gentle, comforting aura from the boy as he did from the deity statue that sits in the middle of his village. That Riku’s careful and gentle holds ease his heart the same way whenever he prays to the God of Health.

Because...the God of Health is right in front of him.

“We used to be human once,” Riku says quietly, “Perhaps that is why. Aside from my godhood….we aren’t so different. Not too long ago...I used to live a normal human life, too.”

Tenn blinks, remembering something. “Then the story of your childhood that you told me when we first met…”

“You still remember? As expected of Tenn-san.” Riku’s smile dips. “I  _ was  _ a sickly child. But I...I never got better. I died when I was 18, but Heaven saw something in me and I ascended into godhood.” He looks at Tenn. “When I said I’m older than I look, I wasn’t lying, but truthfully...it’s only been a few years since I became God. If I was still human, I would have probably been around your age.”

“...It’s true that it’s only been a few years since we started worshipping the deity of health,” Tenn confesses, “It was also during that time the state of our village steadily improved, because our morale was good.”

He frowns. Strange… thinking about it now, he can’t seem...to remember the exact moment the villagers started believing in Riku, despite knowing that it had been a recent thing.

“You really are…” Tenn lets out a breath. “When you put it that way, you really do seem human. And yet somehow -,” Tenn looks at Riku. “I know you’re telling me the truth.”

He’s sitting next to a God. A literal God, whom he befriended these past several weeks. It all seems surreal.

“Can I ask you one more thing?”

“Go ahead.”

“What kind of life…” Tenn hesitates, “...did you lead as a human? If it hadn’t been too long ago, then...your family…?”

How did they feel, after witnessing the death of their son, seeing Riku now, as a God worshipped by many?

To his surprise, the smile that Riku gives him now is a little sad. “I don’t remember my family, nor most of my human life,” he confesses, “It’s been like that for as long as I can remember.”

“...I’m sorry.”

Riku shakes his head. “Don’t be.”

“...Riku.”

“Hm?”

“If you’re the God himself, then what was the true reason you came to our village?” 

Riku closes his eyes. He knows this question will come sooner or later. He’s surprised enough already at how calm Tenn is about this. He had told him so many truths thus far. There is no point keeping this from you.

“It’s because of you.”

Tenn blinks. “Me?”

“I was drawn towards you,” Riku continues, “Since the first time I saw you from afar, for some reason...something kept bringing me back to that village. You’re familiar in ways I can’t understand. And the fact that you can see me, when most humans can’t, means that meeting you...is something I was meant to do.”

Tenn’s cheeks flush at those words, and he drops his gaze before he could help it. “Riku…”

Riku lets out a frustrated sound beside him. “And when I saw you back there in the cave, I just...all I could think was how much I couldn’t  _ bear  _ to see you hurt like that. Even just the idea of it terrifies me, I -,”

Tenn watches in stunned silence as Riku lets out a breath. When Riku looks at him again, there is a newfound intensity in his gaze that makes Tenn’s heart skip a beat.

“I don’t know how or why...but Tenn-san, you’ve become someone really important to me,” Riku confesses, “Whatever drew me in towards you, I don’t want to fight it any longer. I don’t...if Heaven would -,” He shakes his head. “No, if  _ you  _ would allow it, I don’t...I don’t want to part from you.”

Riku’s words bring a sudden wave of tears to Tenn’s eyes. Wrapping his arms around himself, Tenn ducks his head, feeling the tears in his eyes slowly but surely trail down his cheeks.

“R-Riku, I -,” He sucks in a breath, “Truthfully...when I was in that cave…”

When the malicious intent of those spirits who attacked him was made clear to him, when he felt himself being pushed to the ground, his strength rapidly leaving him -

“I was so scared,” he whispers harshly, “I...When I saw you, I was so -.” He lifts his head, revealing his tear-stained face, “I was so  _ relieved _ .”

Riku’s face twists, his expression crumbling. “Tenn-san -,”

“I don’t want to part from you, either, Riku,” Tenn says, his voice breaking towards the end, “I don’t know how and when, but I -,”

_ You’ve become so important to me. _

He doesn’t say those words, his throat closing up due to his sobs before he had the chance to, but Riku seemed to understand him well enough. Suddenly, he feels warmth envelop him when Riku’s arms wrap around him, embracing him tightly. He thinks he hears a shuddering breath as Riku holds him close.

“Tenn-san, Tenn-san,” Riku cries, “Tenn-san…  _ Tenn. Tenn.” _

Hearing his name called out like that, Tenn feels like crying again. 

“Riku,” he sobs, “ _ Riku. _ ”

They hold each other like that for a moment, whispering each other’s names. When Riku finally draws back, he cups Tenn’s cheek with one hand, searching his face.

Somehow, Tenn understands.

They lean in towards each other, their lips meeting halfway into a kiss. 

“Are you sure...it’s okay?” Tenn asks him for the umpteenth time.

Riku chuckles, exasperated but fond. “I should be the one asking you that. Is this your first time?”

Tenn makes a harumph sound. “That’s hardly important. I...You...You’re a God.” Tenn covers his face, his cheeks tinged red. “I feel like I’m committing blasphemy.”

“Of all the things to think about -,”

“I can’t help it! Never mind that, how do  _ you  _ know about these things anyway?”

Now, it’s Riku’s turn to look embarrassed. “I’m a deity,” he says, his eyes shifting, “The way of the world...we kinda have to know it. Besides, I may not remember much, but I know at least I wasn’t  _ always  _ bedridden as a human. I’d like to think I had human curiosities, too.”

“Oh? How cute -,”

“Oh, shut up -,” Riku captures Tenn’s lips into a kiss, his own lips curling up when he hears a soft moan coming from Tenn. The night air is chilly but comfortable, and while Tenn had been initially embarrassed at the prospect of doing it out in the open - sort of, at the very least, they’re hidden by the overgrowth -, he seems to be responding eagerly now. Tenn throws his arms around Riku’s neck to pull him closer, a sigh escaping his lips when Riku pulls away to nuzzle at his throat.

Tenn’s skin is warm - chilled only by the night air - and he responds beautifully to every touch Riku gives him. He feels hands tangle in his hair as Riku kisses down his body, lingering at certain spots when Tenn’s sounds get a little bit louder.

Tenn flushes deeply when Riku finally parts his robes to bare everything, turning his head away to avoid looking at Riku.

“Tenn, look at me,” Riku orders softly, smiling in satisfaction when Tenn complies, “You’re beautiful.”

“Don’t say embarrassing things,” Tenn protests.

“We’re doing it in public and you’re embarrassed by praises?”

“It’s because you’re the one saying them!” Tenn huffs, “Stop teasing me and just hurry up.”

Riku blinks, his brain registering Tenn’s words, letting them truly sink in. Before long, a smirk appears on his face, and he leans down to kiss Tenn again, savoring the intimacy of the act before he murmurs against Tenn’s lips.

“Just so you know,” he says, “I’d like to think I had  _ many  _ human curiosities.”

Riku takes him in his hand first, then his mouth. Both times Tenn arches into his touch, a keening cry escaping his throat before he slams his hands onto his mouth, desperate to muffle his sounds. Riku never lets him, of course - that’s what Tenn gets for being so demanding. When he wraps his hand around Tenn’s hard length again, feeling the slick feeling of saliva and pre-cum mixing together and filling the air with obscene wet sounds, Tenn makes the prettiest sounds. His hands are pinned above him by Riku’s free hand, so he makes those sounds uninhibited. 

“R-Riku, s-stop, I don’t want to -,” A moan interrupts his words. “I don’t want to come just yet --!” He props himself up to wrap his arms around Riku’s neck again, pressing himself closer against Riku’s body. “Please, I want you. Now, now,  _ please  _ -,”

“Are you sure?” Riku asks hotly.

“More than anything else. Riku, _ please  _ -,”

Riku growls low in his throat. He releases Tenn’s cock - a primal feeling running through him when he hears Tenn whine at the loss of contact - and moves to hook Tenn’s legs around his shoulders, lowering Tenn back to the ground as he does.

“I need to prepare you.” Riku’s voice comes out in a near-growl. “So you won’t get hurt. I’ll make you feel good, Tenn.”

Hearing his name uttered so  _ possessively  _ by Riku is enough to send shocks of thrill through Tenn, and when he feels something probing at his entrance, he unintentionally sucks in a breath, preparing himself for what’s to come. 

When the first finger pushes through the tight ring of muscles, Tenn hisses. He didn’t expect the sensation. He could feel the warm saliva coating Riku’s finger to help ease some of the friction, but it is still an entirely new sensation. He tenses before he could help it.

“Are you okay?” Riku whispers, instantly stopping his ministrations. 

“Mm,” Tenn forces himself to nod, “You can - You can keep going.”

“I’ll be careful. I won’t hurt you,” Riku promises.

Tenn looks at him with a gaze filled with so much love and trust that Riku’s chest feels tight just looking at him.

“I know, Riku,” he says softly, “I trust you.”

Riku keeps his word - taking his sweet time prying Tenn apart with his fingers. Tenn feels hot and tight around his digits, and everytime he brushes at a certain spot, Tenn cries out louder than usual. By the time Riku inserts the third finger, Tenn is a mess in his arms, his cheeks streaked with tears.

“More, more,” he sobs, “I don’t want just fingers. I want -,”

“I know,” Riku murmurs, “I know what you want.”

When Riku finally takes him, he takes him slow and gentle despite the heat in his earlier words. Tenn’s body had stilled when Riku’s hard length first breached his entrance - it is not the same as fingers, after all - but Tenn’s breathing slowly returns to normal and when he finally relaxes again, he gives a nod at Riku, his eyes shining with unshed tears. 

Riku rocks against him and Tenn’s body moves in tandem with his thrusts. He could hear the rustling of the grass beneath them and the sound of crickets in the night. He could see nothing but Tenn’s face, illuminated by the moonlight, his cheeks red, his eyes bright. He hears the sounds Tenn makes - sweeter than any prayer he’s ever received from him. Tenn’s sounds fill him to the core, encouraging him to move faster, deeper, drawing out every cry he could.

They kiss again - slow and gentle at first before the contact of lips becomes more frantic and filled with heat - savoring every touch and warmth they could give and take. 

And in the midst of the lovemaking, Tenn opens his arms, looking at Riku with so much love. His lips, wet and shiny with saliva, move. Riku listens hard - he needs to capture every word.

“Hold me, Riku. Never let go.”

Riku holds him tightly, maneuvering their positions so Tenn sits on his lap, Tenn’s arms around him. Riku continues his ministrations, and Tenn continues to take, take, take -

_ “Riku, Riku, Riku -!” _

“Tenn, Tenn, you’re so good to me, mine, mine,  _ mine _ -!”

His fingers dig deep into Tenn’s hips that he thinks he might leave bruises. The fire in his groin is growing and growing and Tenn makes the loveliest sounds, holding him tight and never letting go - 

Riku comes with a stuttered groan, burying his head at the crook of Tenn’s neck. Tenn comes not too long after, with a high and broken moan as his body jerks in Riku’s arms.

Later, as they lie on the grass, sleep slowly pulling them in, Riku hears something being softly uttered in his ear.

“I love you, Riku.”

“Mm. As I love you.”

In a village located in the east, a lone statue of the God of Health stands proudly at its centre.

At first, all is silent in that tiny village. Then -

A resounding crack shatters through the air, seemingly echoing off the wooden houses and zinc rooftops. 

On the statue’s heart, now lies a crack.

_ “Tenn-nii!” _

_ “Mother. Father!” _

_ “I want to...play outside with Tenn-nii…” _

_ “Sorry that I couldn’t -” A hacking cough. “Bring you… the ball back, Tenn-nii.” _

_ “I wish to -,” _

Riku wakes up with a start, gasping as he does. He’s in his bed at his residence. Everything is safe and warm here. It’s just a scary dream.

But it felt so  _ real. _

“It’s just a bad dream,” he tells himself, “Just a silly bad dream.”

He stretches his arms and swings his legs off the mattress, only to collapse to the floor when a sharp pain shoots up his spine. He lets out a gasp, not expecting that sensation. He claws at his robes, untying the obi and letting the material fall away. He turns his head and catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

“What in the -,”

On his chest, above the place where his heart beats, is a black mark shaped like a half-wing.

Tenn looks at the God of Health statue almost in a daze, not quite paying attention to where he is putting the flower offerings.

It’s been a week since the truth came to light and while his heart still flutters thinking of the feelings and...other things that they have shared together, it has also been a week since...the dreams begin to happen. Those dreams can be bright and vibrant and nonsensical, or they could be dark and muted and had a melancholic feel. Tenn would wake up each night gasping for breath, his mind trying to make sense of those dreams.

All of those dreams...he had seen Riku in them.

A much younger Riku. The Riku he sees now. A Riku...lying on the floor, covered with blankets after blankets and yet still unable to stop shivering. He had seen Riku smiling from ear to ear, but he had also seen Riku with sunken cheeks and dull eyes.

He had seen Riku shed one last tear before he stopped breathing.

Tenn shakes his head, chasing the thoughts away. He doesn’t understand why he’s having those dreams and yet, those dreams are familiar in a way that Tenn feels like they’re telling a story that Tenn already knows.

No, a story that Tenn witnessed for himself. But that’s impossible. He didn’t know Riku before their first encounter several weeks ago. He had never known him as a human. But -

_ “Tenn-nii!” _

He clutches his head, groaning as he staggers back.

“Onii-chan?”

Tenn looks down to find a little girl staring up at him, her big eyes shining in worry. “Are you okay? You look really pale.”

Tenn forces a smile. “I’m fine, Aya. Just a little tired. Why don’t you go play?”

Aya hesitates but nods regardless. “Okay…”

Right. They’re just dreams. Bad, terrifying dreams but dreams nevertheless. They can’t hurt him -

Tenn frowns, looking up at the statue.

“Huh. When did those appear there?”

The crack on Riku’s chest has now spread to his torso.

The dreams have become worse for Riku since then. Sleep does not come easy, and when it finally takes him, Riku is forced violently out of it by nightmare after nightmare. The dreams are more vivid now - to the point that Riku feels as though he’s living out a past he doesn’t recognize.

The sight of a woman and man, holding his hands. A younger version of Tenn, singing him to sleep. Pain from coughing and gasping all night long, never getting better no matter how much he rested. The sound of crying and begging to  _ please save their son! _

Tenn holding him close, weeping silently as Riku feels himself growing colder and colder and colder -

His weakening mental psyche affects his powers as well. Riku watches miserably from his bedroom floor as whatever he touches slowly rots away as the black marks on his body begin to spread. The pain from it is enough to make him scream, unable to think about anything else. 

His mood gradually worsened, and it has not gone unnoticed by the rest of the Gods. Sougo had knocked on his door more times than he could count, but Riku shut him out each time. 

And then, there are -

Those  _ voices. _

_ “You made him sad.” _

_ “He was never truly happy even after you ascended.” _

_ “You have to get him back. _

_ “You have to get who belonged to you.” _

“Shut up, shut up, shut up!” Riku yells, covering his ears as he twists his eyes shut. “I don’t even know who you’re talking about.”

_ “Don’t play dumb.” _

_ “You think by making that stupid wish you can undo the pain?” _

_ “You have to get him back. Get him back, coward!” _

“Who?!” Riku screams out.

There is a hushed silence. Just as Riku thinks the voices have finally left him alone, one singular voice resounds in his head. A voice that sounds like a million, all morphed into one.

_ “Tenn-nii. Your beloved twin brother.” _

And then, the greatest pain unimaginable assaults Riku’s mind, eliciting an ear-splitting shriek from him.

There is a loud explosion of power, shaking Heaven to its very core.

By the time everyone discovers the source of it, all they found are the ruins of what used to be Riku’s room - the God himself out of trace. 

_ “Tenn-nii…” A hand weakly clutches his, “I’m sorry...I couldn’t play with you more often.” _

“Riku!”

Tenn didn’t realize he had fallen asleep that afternoon after completing his works in the fields, but his mind barely registers that fact as the dream races through his thoughts, searing itself into his brain.

Riku is -

Riku’s his -

Tamaki stands in front of what looks like an aftermath of a wreckage. He steps into what used to be Riku’s residence in Heaven, sidestepping the strewn books and broken pieces of furniture. He eyes the torn curtains and pillows and the cracks on the ground. The blackened walls and the burnt floorings. 

“This is worse than we could ever imagine,” a voice sighs behind him. 

He turns to see Iori standing by the doorway, Sougo by his side. The pair of Gods assess the situation with varying expressions - a deep worry on Sougo’s face, a thin line of lips on Iori’s. 

“It’s best that you two stay away from this room,” Tamaki says seriously, “The amount of dark energy in this room could be dangerous.”

Sougo looks at Tamaki in concern. “And you, Tamaki-kun?”

“I’m used to it.”

Iori and Sougo keep quiet, needing no further explanation. Remaining at the doorway, Iori crosses his arms, shaking his head.

“Riku-san has made himself scarce. We couldn’t detect his presence. Either it’s his own doing or the curse that’s affecting him.”

Sougo frowns. “Either way, we need to look for him. If his condition worsens…”

“To think that he could break the pact he made with the heavens themselves,” Iori mutters, “Why did he have to remember? Why did those two have to meet -,”

The moment those words leave his lips, the three Gods look at each other, realization dawning upon them.

Sougo is out of the door before the other two could react.

“Your Highness?!”

“Sougo-san?!”

“I have to hurry!” Sougo yells back, “Before it’s too late!”

Blue sparks appear at his fingertips. He hurriedly slashes the air in front of him, not even waiting for the air to fully ripple open before he practically throws himself into the portal that takes him to the mortal world, leaving the stunned Iori and Tamaki in his wake.

Something in his gut tells Tenn that Riku is near.

He cannot explain it, but he’s out of his house and running towards their usual meeting spot before he realizes it. It might be as well. He has so many questions he needs answers to. The dreams he’s been having, the cracks on Riku’s statue -

The memory of him holding a dying Riku in his arms in a distant past - a past he cannot fully remember.

He finds Riku under the giant tree, his back towards him. He slows down his run before stopping just behind him.

“Riku,” he breathes out, “I knew you’re here. Listen, we need to talk. I’ve been remembering -,”

He pauses mid-sentence when a sudden feeling of dread fills him, making him stagger. His heart begins to race for reasons unknown to him. Unconsciously, he takes a step back. This feeling makes no sense. After all, it’s Riku in front of him. He won’t hurt him.

Right?

“Riku?”

The young God finally turns around to face him. Tenn takes another step back involuntarily. Riku is smiling at him, but there is something...wrong, about the serene expression on his face. Tenn also belatedly notices the black marks on his hands and throat, which have begun creeping up his face. His eyes, whose shade of red normally reminds Tenn of brilliant rubies, now have a different intensity in them. An intensity that Tenn isn’t sure whether he likes.

“Riku…? What happened to you?”

_ “Tenn-nii,” _ Riku breathes, “My beloved Tenn-nii. I knew you’d come to me. We can finally be together.”

Tenn...nii? Where he stands, Tenn has begun to tremble. Then Riku is truly -

Riku steps forward, causing Tenn to take a step back again. This doesn’t go unnoticed by Riku, whose expression abruptly twists into anger.

“Why do you run from me, Tenn-nii?” he asks, the displeasure clear in his tone, “Do you not want to see me?”

Tenn swallows. “Riku, something is wrong. You don’t look so good.”

Riku throws his head back as he laughs. “On the contrary, Tenn-nii,” he says, and much to Tenn’s horror, his voice begins to morph, sounding distorted and strange and  _ not  _ Riku.  _ “I’ve never felt better.” _

Before Tenn could even blink, Riku rushes up to him and roughly grabs his arms, earning a cry of pain from Tenn when he feels Riku’s nails - claws? - dig into his skin. Riku pushes him to the ground, pinning his hands above his head before he bares his teeth at him in a wide grin, the manic look in his eyes as clear as day.

Tenn’s heart is racing so hard that he feels as though it might just burst out of his chest. The fear he felt before has intensified sevenfold and before he knows it, he has begun screaming.

“Riku! Snap out of it!” he begs.

Riku pays him no mind as he continues to push his weight on Tenn, his lips parting to lick a wet stripe down Tenn’s neck. Tenn shivers, his mind going on a hyperdrive. This is wrong. This isn’t Riku. Riku would never hurt him like this. Not like those spirits in the cave -

“My sweet Tenn-nii,” Riku murmurs, his distorted voice sending chills down Tenn’s spine, “If you don’t behave, you leave me with no choice.”

Lifting one hand in the air, he swipes down onto Tenn’s arms, hard enough to draw deep gashes on Tenn’s skin. The smell of blood is almost instantaneous - almost as instantaneous as the intense pain Tenn feels. He lets out another scream, tears pricking his eyes at the sheer intensity of the pain coming from the wound Riku inflicted on him.

He turns to see his wounded left arm, his pupils shaking when he sees the blood oozing out from the wound slowly turns black as it flows out. He could feel his strength sapping away, locking his limbs in place.

It’s like that time in the cave, only this time, it’s -

It’s -

“R-Riku…” Tenn sobs, “Please st -,”

“Riku-kun!”

A new voice slices through the air and the next thing he knows, Riku is abruptly pushed off of him. In his dazed state, Tenn sees a flurry of white robes and long white hair, and hears the sound of bells ringing. Then, he hears a loud thud as Riku is slammed onto the ground.

“Riku-kun, snap out of it!” the newcomer shouts, “You’re not yourself!”

_ “Shut up!”  _ Riku roars.

Tenn watches as Riku tries to fight back against the newcomer’s hold on him, but to no avail. Riku roars in frustration, clawing at the newcomer’s arms. Unlike Tenn, however, Riku’s claws seem to have no effect on the newcomer, who continues to hold him down, gritting his teeth. The newcomer’s hands glow a faint white light, which slowly begins to envelop Riku’s body.

Eventually, Riku stops thrashing about and the intensity in his gaze begins to fade away. When he finally stills, the newcomer slowly lets him go, watching him warily as Riku tries to sit up.

Unlike before, Riku now wears a mask of confusion. 

“W-what happened…?” Riku asks, “Why - H-how?”

His gaze finally lands on Tenn, taking in his injuries and Tenn’s terrified expression. Riku’s own eyes widen, despair slowly settling onto his features when he realizes what he has done.

“T-Tenn-nii...I…” 

He stumbles back, putting as much distance in between them as possible, before he gets to his feet and breaks off, leaving Tenn with the newcomer.

The newcomer who is now approaching him, kneeling beside him as he takes a look at Tenn’s bleeding arm.

“W...who are….you…?” Tenn forces out the words, too weak to do anything, “Are you... a...God...too?”

“Tenn-san,” says the man beside him, “It’s best that you rest now.”

He places a hand on Tenn’s wounds, and Tenn watches in some sort of wonder as a faint glow emits from the newcomer’s hand. The wounds begin to knit close and the pain steadily fades away, taking Tenn’s consciousness with him.

“R...Riku…” he whispers one last time before he hears and sees nothing at all.

Riku hasn’t appeared in days since then. Days slowly turn to weeks, and by the time it becomes a full month since had last seen Riku, Tenn is about to lose his mind. He stands in front of the statue again, watching as the cracks on the surface begin to deepen and spread throughout the statue’s body. The rest of the villagers are also looking on with fear and concern, and there is a general murmur of unrest going through the crowd.

Tenn’s hand unconsciously rubs the length of his left arm, where Riku had torn the skin with his elongated claws, spreading a disease through the wound inflicting, when he should have been the God that cures people.

If it weren’t for that other deity who intervened on time, Tenn isn’t sure if he would have been alive and standing today. The pain from the disease as it rapidly spread through his veins had been incredibly intense that even the memory of it is enough to send shivers down Tenn’s spine.

Nevertheless, he still wants to see Riku again. He needs answers.

About Riku. About himself. About them.

“Deity-sama!” Tenn yells out that night, climbing on the rocks by the waterfall where he had last seen the God that helped him. He doesn’t know his name, but he remembers his long white hair, and his elegant robes, and the sadness that covers him like a blanket as he intercepted Riku that day. Tenn would recognize him in a heartbeat if he could see him one more time.

“Deity-sama!” he continues, “Please,  _ please _ ! Wherever you are, please let me see you! Just this once. I need to...I need to talk to you. Please, deity-sama!” Tenn huffs; climbing and keeping a steady footing on the rocks is more work than he thinks and he’s slowly but surely getting out of breath. The fact that it’s night means he can’t see much - he should have done this in broad daylight, but he didn’t want to risk people seeing him screaming for someone they could not even see. “Deity-sa - hgh!”

His foot slips and the next thing he knows he’s falling. He could hear the water rushing below him and see the night sky above him and oh god, he’s going to hit his head and he’s going to drown and -

He hears a sound of bells ringing, and then something warm grabs hold of his wrist, pulling him up.

“You are more trouble than you look, Tenn-san,” a voice sighs.

Tenn stumbles to his feet, before collapsing onto the ground, strength suddenly leaving his legs. He looks up, his eyes widening when he realizes who had spoken. Standing in front of him, is the deity who helped him that night.

“D-deity-sama!”

“You can call me Sougo,” says the deity, “Seems fair, since I know your name.”

“Sougo-sama!” Tenn cries, “Where is Riku? I need to see him!” 

There is that look on Sougo’s face again - the way his expression seems to crumple into itself and how in the moonlight, his eyes seem to shine with unshed tears. He wordlessly holds out his hand towards Tenn, beckoning him to take it.

“I will lead you to him,” he says quietly, “But we must hurry. We don’t have much time left.”

“W-what do you mean?” Tenn asks in a quiver.

Sougo fixes him a look, before he kneels in front of Tenn. One hand reaches out to cup his face, his fingers brushing the stray hairs from Tenn’s eyes. “Tenn-san, Riku-kun’s condition is getting worse,” he answers, and Tenn’s heart drops at his words. “Do you...do you remember who you used to be? Do you remember what Riku used to be to you?”

“He’s...my brother,” Tenn replies, his voice distantly, “We used to be brothers before he died...and ascended as a God.” His gaze drops to his hands. “But...why did I forget? How did I forget that in the first place?”

“Because you were unhappy.”

Tenn’s gaze snaps up to meet Sougo’s, whose melancholic gaze seems to see right through him.

“You were filled with regrets that you couldn’t save your brother. Even after he ascended, Riku-kun knew that even as you prayed, you and your parents never seemed truly happy. He wanted...he wanted you to forget, so he can ease your pain.”

“...Sougo-sama, I -,”

“In return for such a heavy wish,” Sougo continues, “The heavens erased his memories of his family as well. Just as you won’t remember him, he won’t remember you. But your chance encounter...and the feelings you developed for one another, it must have triggered something and now both of you are remembering each other again.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Tenn whimpers, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Riku-kun essentially made a pact with Heaven to have his wish fulfilled,” Sougo explains, “For him to break it, intentionally or unintentionally….there will be consequences. He’s being cursed by the heavens, Tenn-san. He’s not himself.”

Tenn grabs Sougo’s arms, clawing at the material of the deity’s sleeves as he looks at him desperately. “Then, how can I help him?! Riku...he….he doesn’t deserve this!”

There is a beat of silence.

Sougo leans forward. “Listen well, Tenn-san. After I tell you the only way to save him, it’s up to you to decide.”

He gently grabs hold of Tenn’s shoulders as he leans further forward to whisper in Tenn’s ear.

Pain.

Sharp, hot, blinding pain.

Everything  _ hurts. _

Riku cannot feel, cannot hear, cannot see anything else but the pain that wraps around his limbs like tendrils. His vision is tinged red and each breath feels like his last. He claws at the ground beneath him, his now elongated nails digging deep into the dirt.

In his head, voices won’t stop yelling at him.

_ Riku.  _

_ Riku, please hold on! Please...please don’t die! _

_ Riku….I’m sorry I couldn’t save you. I’m sorry I failed you. _

_ … Do you like this God, Riku? _

_ Riku. _

_ Riku, I love you. _

“Shut up!” Riku roars, “Shut up, shut up, shut up!! I don’t want to hear it!”

The dark tendrils around him tighten their hold, and everywhere Riku has touched is beginning to decay. The hut he’s hiding in now has darkened walls and decayed flooring, and the plants that once grew around the building have wilted away.

His touch used to be able to heal things - now, all he spreads is pain and disease.

Is this his punishment for remembering? He doesn’t understand -

He doesn’t want -

“Riku?”

Riku’s head snaps up. It can’t be. It’s impossible - How did he find him -

Standing by the doorway, his face beautifully illuminated by the moonlight shining down on him, is Tenn. His hair is windswept, and his robes are stained with grass and bits of dirt. He is barefooted - Riku could see scratches on the soles of his feet. He had been running before this. Running and looking for  _ him. _

“Stay back!” Riku yells, “Tenn-nii, stay back!”

Tenn. His brother. The one he loves.

“Riku!” Tenn cries out, running towards him, “It’s okay! I-I...You won’t hurt me. Sougo-sama gave me something to protect myself temporarily, so it’s okay! Please...please…” His voice cracks. “Please don’t turn away from me.”

“Aren’t you disgusted by the way I look?” Riku asks brokenly, “Tenn-nii, I’m no longer the person you think I am...I - Gah!” He cries out in pain when something hot and blinding runs up his spine. He collapses to the ground, gagging before he throws up something black and bitter onto the ground.

“Riku!” 

Riku feels hands touching him, and out of instinct, he pushes them away. “Don’t touch me! You’ll get hurt!”

“I already told you, I’ll be fine!” Tenn yells back, “Be a good little brother and stop being stubborn!”

Riku stills.

“Y-you…” Riku’s shrunken pupils shake as he looks at Tenn. “You remember…?”

“I do,” Tenn says, “I remember. Riku...Riku...My sweet little brother.” He holds onto Riku’s sleeves, and sure enough, the tendrils seem to shy away from Tenn’s hands. Riku realizes something is glowing and finally sees the pendant hanging around Tenn’s neck.

He knows that artifact. It’s one of Sougo’s protective charms. The pendant is wrapped with what looked like small plants, intertwined with each other around the artifact. Riku recognizes those plants instantly.

“Those are…”

“The seedlings you gave me a long time ago,” Tenn confirms, “Sougo-sama said the plants from them can repel evil energy for a time.”

Riku gradually stops struggling. He pushes himself up onto a sitting position before slumping tiredly against the blackened walls. He could still feel the pain running through his veins, but he feels a cool comfort wherever Tenn touched him that he finds himself yearning for it. But -

He lets out a bitter laugh. “Then, aren’t you disgusted, Tenn-nii?”

Tenn furrows his brow. “Of what?”

“Of me. You’re my brother and yet...yet, I…” He reaches up to touch Tenn, but holds back at the last minute. “I can’t help but to want you. To desire you as more than a brother. These feelings...they’re dirty, Tenn-nii. Maybe this is why I’m being cursed by the heavens.” He laughs humorlessly. “Not only did my memories return, I’ve developed feelings for my own brother.”

Tenn curls his fingers into a tight fist, which trembles at his side.

“I don’t care about that!” he yells desperately, “Riku, if your feelings are dirty, then, so are mine. I-I...I love you, Riku. And I don’t want you to be in pain.”

Riku looks stunned at his words, his face regaining a moment of clarity. “Tenn-nii…”

He doesn’t move away when Tenn steps closer towards him. Tenn reaches out, and when his hand makes contact with Riku’s cheek, it is only then does Riku flinch, throwing himself back against the wall.

“I -,”

“Riku, don’t leave me,” Tenn begs, throwing all inhibitions, “Please...don’t push me away.”

“I could hurt you!” Riku cries out, “Like I did last time!”

“No, you won’t! And even if you do, I...I…”

Realizing words won’t reach him, Tenn takes another determined step towards him before throwing his arms around Riku, locking him in a tight embrace. 

“Tenn-nii -”

“Listen to my heart,” Tenn whispers, “If you don’t believe my words,  _ listen. _ ”

Riku stills, and for a moment, all is quiet. Then, 

Riku hears it.

Tenn’s heart beats slow and steady. Calm. There had been traces of fear before, but now -

All that’s left is -

“Do you believe me now?” Tenn asks softly.

Riku looks at Tenn in silence - until the sound of their breaths the only loud thing in the hut. Between them, the pendant continues to glow, protecting Tenn from the curse that intertwines itself around Riku.

Tenn hears a shuddering breath.

A pair of hands on his back, pulling him close. 

“I want to hold you, Tenn-nii,” he hears Riku say, “Please. Like that night. I want to feel you.”

Tenn closes his eyes.

(After all, Sougo led him here so he could -

For one last time -)

“I want the same, Riku,” he whispers back, “Like that night….please don’t leave me.”

Riku is not sure whether he’s hurting Tenn. He couldn’t tell. He tries to be gentle, but Tenn clearly wants more.

Even when he’s accidentally rough and he knows the sounds Tenn makes is the sound of pain, Tenn holds him close, never letting go. In the midst of it all, he could sense it.

The desperation.

“Don’t stop,” Tenn mewls, when Riku thrusts him particularly deep, his fingers digging into Riku’s forearm. “Please, please…”

“Am I hurting you?” Riku asks when Tenn makes another broken moan.

Tenn shakes his head. “It’s fine. I want it. Riku, _ please _ , give it to me.”

He continues to give Tenn what they both want. Sometimes, the black curse marks around Riku shocks pain through him, and Riku bites into Tenn’s shoulder to muffle the pain. He doesn’t do it on purpose and he wants to apologize, but he feels hands pressed against his back. Tenn kisses his sweat slicked throat. Riku could feel the pendant pressed in between them - its metal cold, its glow warm.

“Keep going,” Tenn murmurs, “I’ll be fine, Riku. I trust you.”

By the end of it, with a groan from Riku and a soft, stuttered whine from Tenn, Tenn embraces him tightly just as he did during their first time.

He hears something murmured in his ear.

This time -

Something in his mind pulls him into unconsciousness before he has the chance to really hear it.

“Tenn….nii…”

_ “Riku, I…” _

(Tenn feels it too - the lull that encourages him to sleep. Sougo has told him about this - the pact being resealed. Soon, he’ll sleep.

And when he wakes -)

_ “...Have to let you go…” _

Sunrise comes. Rays of light streams through the cracks of the door, filtering into the darkness of the hut. Tenn’s eyes slowly crack open. 

“...Where am I?” he croaks out. He gets up, and sees the blanket covering him falling away. He frowns when he looks at himself. He’s dressed in simple clothes - but unlike the usual tattered patchwork he typically wears, the clothes he has on are new and clean and soft against his skin. He looks around the hut, his initial grogginess giving away to alert wariness. 

Beside him, he sees his bag placed neatly on the ground. When he opens his bag, he sees that none of his meager belongings are touched. However, there is one pouch nestled in there that he has never seen before. Warily, he takes the pouch and shakes it to gauge its contents. His curiosity increases when he hears something rattling in it, prompting him to untie the pouch and peek inside.

His eyes widened.

Gold. The pouch is filled with enough gold coins to feed his family for months on end. He stuffs it back into his bag and quickly rushes out of the hut. He hopes to find someone who could explain why he’s here in the first place and why there is gold in his bag.

But like the sudden gaps in his memories of what happened last night, he finds nothing and no one outside the hut. He’s here alone.

With no memories of why and how he’s here.

Around his neck, Tenn’s pendant has lost its glow.

Riku feels something warm surrounding him. He slowly opens his eyes, and the first thing he feels is hair tickling his cheek.

Along with a very familiar pair of earrings within his line of vision.

“Sougo….san?” he croaks out.

“You can continue sleeping, Riku-kun,” Sougo murmurs, tightening his hold on Riku’s legs. Riku’s body is a comforting weight on his back as he treks through the forest. “The nearest portal to Heaven is still quite a distance away.”

“Where….?”

“It doesn’t matter, Riku-kun,” Sougo continues, “It’s all just a dream.”

“A dream…” Riku repeats in a soft whisper, “I...I don’t remember anything. I was in a lot of pain before. I couldn’t control my powers. And then…”

“And then?” Sougo prompts gently.

He hears a sigh. “I don’t...I don’t remember anything. I’m not in pain anymore, though. I...Why am I in the mortal world, Sougo-san…? Did I….visit my devotees again?” He hears a soft groan. “I...I don’t -,”

“It’s okay, Riku-kun,” Sougo says, trying to keep his composure. He’s glad Riku cannot see his face. “Like I said, it’s just a long dream. When you wake up again, you’ll be in your room in Heaven, warm and safe. You won’t be in pain anymore.”

“Mm…” Riku nuzzles Sougo’s neck, his eyes sliding shut. “A dream…”

Just as Riku’s breathing slows down again, Sougo hears one last whisper.

“Why….was I in pain in the...first place?”

Iori puts down his file on the table with a louder thud than usual before burying his face in his arms.

“I’m done. I’m quitting to become a grape farmer.”

“That’s new,” Tamaki remarks, “You’re normally so resilient.”

“If  _ some  _ Gods would bother to document their prayers more efficiently, I won’t be making such remarks,” Iori replies bitterly. He raises his head before rubbing circles on his temple. “I’m gonna ask for a long day off from Heaven's Emperor one of these days, I swear. Let’s see how well the Archive will go on without me.”

“Uwah, scary,” Tamaki remarks dryly. 

There is a soft sound of something knocking against the glass window. Both Gods turn their heads towards the direction of the sound, only to find Sougo gazing out the window, his hand pressed against the glass panel. The breeze filtering into the room flutters his long hair, his bangs almost hiding the expression on his face.

But there is no mistaking that wistful look he’s wearing.

“Riku-kun is off to the mortal world again,” he says.

Iori and Tamaki exchange glances.

“I see,” Iori says at last, “Then he must have recovered well.”

Sougo smiles a little sadly as he continues to look at the boy outside who is running down Heaven’s stairs. “Yes. He’s healthy and cheerful like before. Which means…”

“It must have worked,” Tamaki finishes, “Whatever the Emperor did to reseal the pact.”

No one speaks after that. They have no need for words.

It’s been a few days since Riku woke up from his long sleep. Day by day as he slept, the black curse marks that intertwined his legs and arms slowly disappeared. By the time he finally opens his eyes, his gaze is clear and awake, and all the pain he felt before disappeared.

Along with the memories he had of his brother, as well as his feelings for him. 

“Tenn-san doesn’t remember too, I take it?” Iori asks.

“His memories disappeared that night I took Riku-kun away from him,” Sougo explains with a sigh, “Riku-kun had been a little more stubborn, but the long sleep helped reseal his pact...and in turn, took away the curse for breaking it.”

“What if they were to meet again?” Tamaki questions, “Will the curse return?”

Sougo closes his eyes.

“They will never meet. At least, not in this lifetime.” Sougo’s fingers curl into a loose fist. “Heaven made sure of it. That sort of mistake...should never be repeated.”

They hear laughter.

“Nagi-san! I’m off!” Riku yells.

“ _ Oh.  _ Do be careful, Riku! You only just got out of bed!” they hear Nagi yell in exasperation.

“I’m as healthy as a horse. See you in a bit!”

“He definitely sounds happier now,” Iori says wistfully, smiling a little, “Perhaps it is for the best that the pact is now resealed. It was what he originally wished for, after all. 

“And his brother? How is he faring?” Tamaki questions.

Sougo turns from the window to face the two Gods. With a wave of his hand, blue sparks appear from his fingertips, and in an instant, the air in front of him seems to ripple like water. There is a faint glow emanating from that ripple before the glow eventually dissipates - replaced by what seemed a mirror reflecting a scene.

The three Gods surround the mini portal, looking at the scene depicted from it. 

“He seems to be doing fine, as well,” Sougo remarks quietly.

Tenn can be seen kneeling in front of Riku’s statue again, placing offerings around it per usual. This time, however, when he looks up to gaze upon Riku’s face, there is no hint of love in his eyes that surpasses the love of a devotee. None of the passionate feelings he once gazed at Riku with or the longing in his eyes whenever they held each other close, because they were different from each other in more ways than one. He didn’t even have any sibling affection hinted on his face as he looked at the statue - the expression he once wore in the long distant past, before the pact was made and both of them still remembered each other as family.

Now, he’s no more than just a loyal devotee to his deity. Nothing more. Nothing less. Just as what the pact has promised Riku.

“Tenn-san will grow old one day...and Riku-san will undoubtedly outlive him,” Iori says softly, “Even if one day, his life as a God will come to an end, his brother would have been long gone since then.”

“Those two will now spend the rest of their lives separately until the very end,” Tamaki adds, his tone melancholic.

Sougo lowers his gaze. He shakes his head.

“The Heaven’s Emperor made a promise, remember? When he first made the pact to erase Riku-kun’s memories - he said that one day, he and his brother will meet again once Riku-kun’s soul returns back to the mortal world. It will take time...but someday….someday.”

He clasps his hands together, his head bowed in prayer.

“Those two will finally find their happiness.”

_ Some centuries later _

  
  


“Honey, can you grab that bag for me?”

“Sure, sweetie. You’re done packing?”

Nanase Kasumi beams at her husband. “Packed and ready. It’s our first trip together as a family. I’m so excited!”

Nanase Yuki returns his wife’s smile. “I think the boys are more excited than we are. Look at them; they haven’t let go of each other’s hands since breakfast.”

“They’re always that close, though,” Kasumi replies fondly, “Our sweet twin sons.”

They peek inside the car, where two boys - no older than five years old - sit at the backseat, heads leaning towards each other as they animatedly converse with each other. One of them has pinkish light hair, matching his striking pink eyes. The other has vibrant red locks, framing his beautiful red eyes delicately.

“Boys,” Kasumi says, “Are you ready for the trip?”

The pink-haired one, looks up and flashes his mother a smile. “Yes!”

His red-haired brother mimics him, adding in a tiny fist into the air. “We’re ready!”

Yuki looks at the two boys fondly, eyeing their joint hands. “Then, let’s go! Later, we’ll go to a very beautiful field with lots of sunflowers, so make sure to always look out for each other over there, okay?”

The twins’ grip on the other’s hands tighten.

“I’ll hold my little brother close!”

“I’ll stick by my older brother!”

“That’s right,” Kasumi says with an approving nod, “Never let go of each other.”

Their parents reach out to stroke their hair.

“Tenn. Riku.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant to be short and sweet (and dirty), but I ended up writing 14k worth of plot RIP. I wrote this for the twins' birthday but h....is it really a birthday fic, though?
> 
> Kudos/comments/bookmarks are appreciated and you can find me on Twitter at @tennssi0907 !


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